The incredulous snort from Revina was enough to make Laven chuckle and break the little spell they had between them. He smiled at Menel as the swordsman touched his cheek and ear with the most gentle fingers. “They’re absolutely lovely. I’ll just have to be sure not to wear them when they could get me in trouble.” He smiled and let Menel pull away with only a touch of disappointment. He was growing spoiled with the affection Menel gave him in public.

He hesitated for a moment but in the end he lifted the delicate earrings and held one against his earlobe before looking to his cousin. “What do you think, Revvie?” He swallowed whatever turmoil might have been in his expression and let Revina’s sharp grin fill up what could have been awkwardness.

“Eh, you two’re sentimental sops.” The other elf stood and brushed past Mac to take the other earring and examine it, turning the red stone to see how it caught the light. “Gotta say I like these though. Good job Snowflake.” She leaned over and took the other earring with the first and held them both up against Laven’s ears. “Aye, these make you look like a pretty lad don’t they. Lemmie go clean them off for ya.” For all the holes in her head it would have been odd for her not to have the right things to clean the metal properly, Laven didn’t have anything like that anymore after all.

In the moment they were alone with only the Cu Sidhe Laven took Menel’s hand and kissed it over the scarred webbing between his thumb and forefinger. “Thank you, Menel. This is… This is wonderful. I love you.” He looked up at Menel through his lashes and smiled and for all it was crooked… It was also sincere. There were more words he could have said but they were stuck inside of him. Perhaps he could find them eventually.

When Revina returned it was with the cleaned earrings that she handed off to Laven before being trailed by Mac to the assortment of food she and Laven had left out along with Menel’s offerings of hot chocolate and danishes. Laven very quickly slipped the metal loops in through the holes in his ears, feeling the unaccustomed but remembered weight of them as he turned his head and flashed another smile at Menel. “What do you think?”

Menel could only grin in response to Laven's suggestion that he'd have to be cautious about when he wore them. The swordsman had meant every word he said. As far as he was concerned Laven could never wear the earring's at all. So long as Laven knew that Menel loved him, nothing else was important. The elf showed his cousin the earrings and she reacted with her typical mixture of rough backhanded complements and grousing before heading off to find something to clean the earrings off with. Never having had earrings himself Menel found himself a little curious. Did earrings require some kind of special maintenance that he didn't know about?

Once they were alone Laven kissed his hand delicately and it made Menel grin. "I love you too."He shifted the gifts he'd been given, placing them carefully to the side on the floor where they would be out of the way. Now that the gifts were out of the way...

Revina appeared from the other room, giving the earrings back to Laven so that the elf could try them on. They really did match the elf's eyes. Though Laven's eyes were in fact a touch brighter, and the cool stone could never have held the sort of warmth that Laven's eyes did.

“What do you think?”

Very seriously Menel looked at the earrings again as if he had not been looking already, considering what he thought of them. Unbidden the thought of nibbling the elf's ear, or even playfully tugging on one of the earrings rose up in his mind and he flushed scarlet. Blue eyes flickered down and he tugged Laven closer to him by the hand that had so recently held his, pulling the other man closer and into his arms a little, not caring much that Laven was still holding the box or anything else. He held Laven, just enjoying the sensation of the other man's weight against his chest. "I think that they draw a lot of attention to your ears, and I'm glad you like them."

His stomach gave a little low rumble to remind him that he hadn't eaten much so far this morning and that there was a veritable buffet not very far away from him. Wryly he chuckled again and gave Laven a little squeeze."I also think that if I don't eat that my stomach is going to keep interrupting us. Do you want anything else? Something to drink?"He looked down at the elf.

Laven was moved with easy strength that reminded him that Menel was always careful with his powerful body, and he answered Menel’s chuckle with his own before resting against the wall of muscle under him. “I think I’m alright for now. Go, before Mac gets ideas on how to sneak food off of the table.”

He let Menel slip free of him and watched the swordsman walk away before reclining on the couch and inspecting the earrings a little more closely. They weren’t the most expensive piece of jewelry he’d ever been given. He could guess Menel’s price range and knew exactly what the store they had been in usually had for sale in their jewelry cases. And yet these earrings meant more to him than all the diamonds he’d ever been given. Those had ended up sold to help his cousin, or thrown into the night after a fit of rage that left Laven an emotional mess.

There was no way he’d give these up. Not for as long as he and Menel were together.

+++

Revina had been waiting for Menel to break away from Laven, standing at the table and picking apart one of the rolls that he’d bought for them all. When she caught sight of him piling a plate high with food she squared her shoulders and glanced over at him. “Ey. I got one more thing for ye if ye want it. C’mere.” Without waiting for his reply she moved away, her steps quieter and faster than usual. Laven watched them go but only offered a smile to Menel. He trusted her not to hurt Menel at this point. Though what she was planning to give him was a secret to him as well.

She looked grimmer and grimmer as they neared the front door, until she pulled it open with unnecessary force and gestured for him to follow her. It was cold, crisp and sharp air biting into their lungs as they stood on the porch staring at each other.

“Ye… You’ve been good to Laven. Better than I thought.” She had dropped her casual and hard to understand accent, working to make sure her words were crystal clear to Menel. “I haven’t seen him happy like this since… Ehh since he was a babe. So I feel like I can trust you, Snowflake.” She glared at him before relaxing her face. “At least I better be able to trust you. So C’mere.”

Her hand grasped his, both large and scarred in ways that reflected their fighting styles. She had pulled up the security locks on the door, using complicated code that flew past their eyes as she typed one handed. When the panel that Laven pressed his hand against to unlock the door glowed softly she adjusted her grip and pressed Menel’s palm to it, holding him steady for the several seconds that passed by in silence.

When the panel shut back down again she let go of him, rubbing her fingers together as if uncomfortable with the casual touching. There was a flush on her cheeks, ruddy and not just from the cold air around them and the way she stared resolutely at Menel confirmed that she was nervous. “There. Ye don’ need the key now, ye can just press yer hand up on the screen an’ the door’ll unlock for ye. Happy Solstice.” She looked nervous and irritable, as if waiting for Menel to laugh at her gift.

There really was a veritable feast laid out, and Menel's stomach was more than happy to noisily remind him that he hadn't really attended to it much yet. The swordsman started collecting up some food, but when Rev interrupted with the low sound of her voice Menel easily set the plate aside and followed the leather-clad woman out of the huge room he'd never been in before today. He was surprised that Rev led him not only through the house but into the chill December weather outside, but that really only served to increase the small swell of anticipation that had been tickling along his skin since she mentioned that she had another gift for him.

He couldn't help but flush a little at her words, it was a bit odd to think that she hadn't expected him to be good to Laven, but it was gratifying to think that Laven was happy. Menel let her take his hands in hers, smiling a little at the woman. Her hands were a little rough like his, scarred by fist fights and years of training. She pressed his hand against a panel he hadn't even known was there and after a bemused moment let him go once again.

“There. Ye don’ need the key now, ye can just press yer hand up on the screen an’ the door’ll unlock for ye. Happy Solstice.”

Menel looked down at his hand and then at Rev who looked nervous. He could come and go without a key? Knowing Rev and Laven they were the only two that had such access to the house and now... Now him as well. "Rev."His voice was soft and he suddenly hugged her, wrapping his arms around the woman and holding her tightly. "Thanks Rev... That... thank you."He pulled away and smiled at her, wishing that he was better with words. That he could think of something to say that would express how much this meant to him.

He hadn't had a home since he had left the one he had shared with his mother so long ago. Now... this place had become that for him. Laven and Rev each in their own way had turned this into a home for him. A place where he felt like he belonged. A place to return to. A place that more and more he loathed to leave."I really appreciate this Rev."